Star Bright
by SunlitMercy
Summary: "How I wish to see my star, so far in the sky, so far. If she never comes to me, then I will surely...cease to be." InuTaisho encounters the brightest of beings and is enchanted. Stars are very unlikely demons.


**I rather hope this story turns out to be successful. I've never attempted to write a piece of fiction for InuYasha and, yet here I am! I've always had a fascination with the great InuTaisho, especially since he seemed to be a very compassionate being while simultaneously very strong and sturdy. The few tragic scenes I witnessed with him, I got the impression that he had a very strong heart, one that longed to protect what was his, one that was very torn. I hope to portray that aspect in this storyline (hopefully). Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the brilliance of InuYasha, only my star.**

There was nothing particularly odd about that summer night. The crickets chimed, the fireflies flickered, and the moon was a powdery crescent in the sky. The weather was fair and the breeze shuffled the forest leaves into a midsummer dance. The land hummed with unspoken energy. A distant howl reverberated through the trees and reached the ears of a demon far from home. He blinked once. Twice. The stars twinkled in the sky.

_"I call for you. I await your return."_

The high-pitched song beckoned the Great InuTaisho home. Home to the Western Palace, home to his mate's embrace, but the Dog General merely disregarded the call. He shuffled his boots into the bramble of the forest floor and glanced up at the sky. _At the stars…_

One star in particular twinkled brightly down at him. It seemed to radiate a golden glow, something so unfamiliar among the silver specks in the sky. He gave a small sigh and almost smiled.

_Inu no Hoshi, the Dog Star. It seems, sometimes my only true confidant. I only wish you could speak._

The Inu no Hoshi, it seemed to the General, twinkled brighter as he sent silent thoughts her way. He realized, with amusement, that she was the only being to have ever looked down upon him. Of course, Stars were of the heavens, and so the General found he did not mind too much. He looked around him, noticing all the creatures of the forest, also taking time to glance upon the great golden star. She was ever-present, ever-guiding and ever-loving, or so said the words of astrologists among his council. To him and to many others, she was also a friend, that constant that led the lost home and gave council when no one else could. InuTaisho had many a night gazed upon her face, through battle and peacetime, through sorrow and prosperity. She was a constant reminder that, although many things change, some always remain. It was a small comfort, but one that had led him through the decades.

One more distant howl echoed through the forest, but he ignored it all the same. Tonight, he would not be coming home.

* * *

The moon had fully risen and all around him whispers sang in the night. He was the Lord of the West, the protector of the lands, and yet on nights like these, he felt shrugged of all responsibilities. He was content in simply being. These nights were scarce as of late in the General's life. The moments he could become the air, the earth, the sky, his land where the moments that made the InuTaisho a true leader. He not only knew his people, he knew his domain.

A low hum resonated in his throat as he gazed, crouched beneath a lone _mojimi_, at the Dog Star. It was instinct to sing for a beautiful female, to vie for her affections and although the star was not a demoness, he sang all the same. In true form, the General was magnificent. He stood tall and proud, his head raised to the sky. A beautiful song lifted from his throat and echoed up to the stars. He sang of the greatness of his domain, the strength of his people, but most of all he sang of the beauty of the stars. They twinkled above him, silent.

_Always silent. Will she ever speak? I have sang to her since before I can remember._

InuTaisho understood he would never receive an answer, although he loved to entertain the thought. In the end, he could simply sing to her and hope to please the kami.

"How I wish to see my star, so far in the sky, so far. If she never comes to me, then I will surely...cease to be." The General completed his song in human from, his low voice rumbling quitely. It was a song his mother had sang to him, once when he was very little. He thought it quite fitting.

* * *

The night was slowly waning and small streaks of light were being painted across the sky. InuTaisho sighed heavily, closing his eyes as a breeze washed over him. Scents invaded his nose, one by one.

_Mojimi leaves, the coming rain, the worn trails of the forest and…._

He suddenly blinked, sniffing harder. A foreign scent flooded his senses. It was sharp, and almost...sugary. He certainly had never smelled it before. And although it didn't appear to be threatening, anything unfamiliar to the General was a danger to his land. He stepped forward, locating the trail of the scent and, to his surprise, found it was not coming from among the earth, but from the sky.

_The sky? Perhaps a winged demon, although this does not smell like a tori…_

His golden eyes slanted towards the stars, searching amongst them for answers. The scent was growing stronger with each passing moment and yet, he could not locate its source. He focused his eyes upon the sky, looking for anything out of the ordinary. To his surprise, he found something missing. His breath caught in his throat, and he took a step back in shock.

_The Inu no Hoshi!_

The Dog Star was missing amongst her sisters in the sky.

_That is not possible. Stars do not simply disappear from their place!_

And yet, the beautiful celestial being, his star, was gone. Vanished. And the scent continued to overpower him. He narrowed his eyes. These things did not occur in his lands without an explanation. That, he always made sure of.

_My star has vanished and the scent grows stronger…_

The General decided that the only option left to him was to fly. How else could he track the scent? He crouched low to the ground, bracing himself, his muscles quivering in anticipation of the hunt. He would find the source of this strange scent and… he would locate his star.

_Inu no Hoshi, what has become of you?_

* * *

He glided through the sky, carefully keeping track of the heavy scent. The problem, it seemed, was that it was merely drifting, with no definite trail. The scent surrounded him, but it lead him nowhere. InuTaisho growled in frustration. Where was it all coming from?

The Inu no Hoshi had yet to return, adding to his growing wariness.

If he could not find the source of a scent, how could he expect to find his precious star?

Suddenly, a strange sound hummed in his ears. His mokomoko lifted as if the air was statically charged. Every instinct he possessed ran haywire. He swiveled to meet the direction of the sound and, faster than he ever had, sprang away from his current position as a flaming streak of golden light rushed past him, heading straight for the earth below. InuTaisho growled in bewilderment as the burning, sugary scent practically flooded his nose and mouth.

_The source!_

The General steeled himself for the chase, darting after the streak of light with all his strength. To his surprise, it was all he could do to keep pace with the mysterious object. The flames licked past his mokomoko and, yet did not seem to burn him.

_It's...cold._

He tried to reach out with his claws, to somehow grasp it and prevent the object from crashing to the ground, but he couldn't reach it. The light it radiated was so bright, he could barely even see enough to place his claws in front of him. He snarled in vexation as he had to fall back as the flaming object collided with the earth. He shielded his eyes briefly as cold flames spat up at him, a result of the collision. Down below, a contained ball of flames licked the ground and crackled as the object began to uncurl. He watched in amazement as the flames hissed and retracted until they were but small golden curls of smoke. InuTaisho cautiously descended, his boots reaching the ground with a soft thud.

_The object still glows golden although its flames are extinguished. What kind of creature is this?_

The General stepped forward, peering down at the object. His youki sang of dominance and control, cautioning the foreign creature against retaliation of any kind. Oddly, all he could see was what appeared to be layers of golden silk.

_Silk?_

He sniffed once. Twice.

_It is...female._

Suddenly, the creature stirred and the layers of silk shifted to reveal waves of shimmering golden locks and soft skin that seemed to glow. He could see pointed ears beneath the hair and realized with shock that she was a demoness.

_But her scent is completely foreign to me. I know no creature like this one._

She glistened entirely, from head to foot and the glow seemed so utterly familiar to the Dog General that he could not resistant, but to reach down and touch her. The moment claw met skin, bright, luster-filled eyes met his and he recoiled in shock. Her entire being began to brighten and, what seemed like, bursts of golden shimmers drifted from her silk.

InuTaishio's heart stilled. The great Lord of the West, the most powerful demon in all the lands, was left speechless. He quickly cast his gaze to the sky and back down at the female below him.

_It cannot be…_

She glistened, glowed like gold, like fireflies, like…

_Like a star._


End file.
